"I already gave it away..." The deputy director stared in shock. "You sold the same piece of intel to both sides?"
"Sold? Did I take your money?" Wang Wen feigned anger at the accusation, turned, and strode toward the door.
"Wait, wait, I misspoke." The deputy director put on a sheepish grin and grabbed Wang Wen by the backside. "That was a risky move! What if I'd been the one sent up last time? Wouldn't I have been the one out of luck?"
Wang Wen said unconcernedly, "Just tell them it was a probability mechanism, fifty-fifty. If they try enough times, they're bound to hit it. Besides, I'm the one who provided the intel. I can make up whatever story I want."
A bead of sweat ran down the deputy director's forehead. "Nobody would've believed that, given the position you were in."
"They would if I'd staked my head on it," Wang Wen said with a grin.
The First Consortium's Intelligence Department.
"Department Head, he's returned to the Academy." Tong Xiaolei wasn't using a flashy light-brain. She reported to the old man with nothing but a plain tablet in hand. "He left the Guard Department at around 7:57 last night."
The old man gave a casual nod to show he'd heard, then bent back over his paperwork.
Tong Xiaolei hesitated for a moment, then asked, confused, "It was only a minor matter. If we'd stepped in, Team Leader Luo could've gotten him released just by saying a word at the Guard Department. He didn't need to be locked up for eleven days. Isn't it a shame to miss out on such an easy favor?"
Asking something like that could be seen as overstepping. Anyone who wasn't a trusted confidante wouldn't have dared to ask.
The old man set down his pen and looked up. "Is he one of the First Consortium's people?"
Tong Xiaolei lowered her head and thought it over. "I understand."
"The consortium hasn't secured its footing yet. There are too many rivals around us, all ready to take our place. While we have the advantage, focusing on our own growth and avoiding unnecessary complications is the right course. Besides, as you said, this really was a minor matter. A favor from the First Consortium doesn't come cheap, and he might not even care for one." The old man picked up his teacup and blew on the leaves floating on the surface. "You may go. And ask Mo Ran to come by."
Mo Ran was currently the Upper Group Leader.
He entered the room and stood there without a word.
Knowing his temperament, the old man cut straight to the point. "How many teams did you send in this week?"
"The regular team found no item, so we sent in two more batches of experts who'd reached the three-hundredth floor. They found nothing." Mo Ran's voice was utterly flat. "The loyalty review turned up no problems, and neither did his finances."
The old man nodded and gave a mysterious smile. "It seems our young friend hasn't been playing fair. He withheld key information and sold the same piece of intel to two parties."
"Ahem. The one who talks behind people's backs is the one who isn't playing fair." Wang Wen's voice came from outside the door.
A look of surprise appeared on Mo Ran's impassive face.
Given his position as Upper Group Leader and his strength at the four-hundred-and-twenty-ninth floor, he shouldn't have been caught completely unaware by someone approaching him.
If Wang Wen had meant to launch a sneak attack, he would've succeeded by now!
Mo Ran furrowed his brow and slowly turned toward the newcomer, keeping a finger pressed against the small mechanism at his waist.
Wang Wen strolled into the room and smiled sheepishly at Mo Ran. "Don't mind me. I'm weak, and my feet don't have much strength."
Mo Ran was startled again.
"He knew I hadn't noticed him!"
"He did it on purpose!"
The old man, however, wasn't surprised to see Wang Wen. He even laughed cheerfully. "Has another week already gone by?"
Wang Wen dropped into the chair in front of the desk and said irritably, "Don't pretend you don't know! I've been in for almost two weeks! This time counts for last week!"
The old man drank his tea without a care. "You can come and go from the Intelligence Department as you please now. What difference does it make whether it counts or not?"
Wang Wen said, "We still have to follow the basic rules."
"You want to talk to me about rules?" The old man set down his teacup, his expression unreadable. "Then let me ask you something. You hid information about the two-hundredth floor and sold two copies of the same thing. Is that what you call following the rules?"
Wang Wen looked the old man in the eye and answered with a question of his own. "May I ask whether you're speaking to me as the Department Head of the First Consortium's Intelligence Department, or as someone I'm chatting with?"
Mo Ran stood guard by the door. His fingers twitched as murderous intent rose across his face, then faded, only to rise again.
He badly wanted to teach the despicable man in the room a lesson for running his mouth.
Yet, for some reason, he wasn't entirely confident.
Wang Wen's uncanny ability to appear and disappear had left a shadow in his mind.
The old man glanced at the door, smiled, and asked Wang Wen, "What difference does it make which role I'm in?"
"Of course it makes a difference." Wang Wen nodded and leisurely raised two fingers. "If you're the Department Head, remember that I didn't sell this intel to you. I said from the beginning that it was just to cover the deposit. A batch of Earth-Shaking Talismans, however many there are, should be more than enough to cover ten thousand points."
The old man asked curiously, "And if I'm just someone you're chatting with?"
"Then I'll answer you." Wang Wen lowered his middle finger. "The real value of that intel was the pill in the secret compartment. For the major consortiums, Earth-Shaking Talismans are nothing more than something you can buy in bulk. That pill was the only treasure of its kind within the first two hundred floors!"
A one-of-a-kind treasure!
Everyone knew that there were three kinds of items in the World Tower.
Everyone liked ordinary items, and everyone had a chance of finding them. They were useful in all sorts of ways as tools for climbing the tower.
Rare items were less common. Setting aside whether anyone could find something like an Earth-Shaking Talisman, a hundred-floor milestone like the two-hundredth floor was already enough to deter most ordinary people.
But a one-of-a-kind treasure?
It wasn't a matter of whether you could find it.
Or whether you were afraid to go after it.
It was a matter of who could claim it in the end!
A one-of-a-kind treasure was a priceless treasure the moment it appeared, because there was only one of its kind.
The sudden mention of those words brought a glint to the old man's eyes. He leaned forward almost imperceptibly. "I'm curious. How do you know so many secrets that no one else does? The First Consortium went to great lengths to verify your intel, and so far, no one else in the world knows any of it. Are you stronger than ten billion Tower Climbers all by yourself? Are you the best in the world?"
Wang Wen's eyes flickered. His voice dropped low. "Why not say that everyone who knew besides me is already gone?"
Silence fell over the office.
Each person had different things on their mind.
Wang Wen was caught up in his memories, quietly mourning people and events he couldn't share with anyone, in a place where no one could hear about them.
The old man had spent most of his life making ruthless decisions, yet this time he seemed hesitant. He appeared calm, but kept drinking from his teacup even though there was barely any water left, revealing his inner struggle.
The Upper Group Leader stood quietly by the door, focused on wrestling with his inner demons.
Everyone was busy.
Everyone was idle.
The afternoon passed in a flash.
As Wang Wen left, he reminded the old man, "Remember to take the pills. Don't be stingy. When you run out, I'll find more."
The old man narrowed his eyes, hiding the brilliant light that flared within them.
Only after he watched Wang Wen leave the building through the floor-to-ceiling window and slowly disappear into the crowd did Mo Ran turn to the old man with a furrowed brow and plead, "Department Head, I might not be able to beat him alone. Please allow me to ask the consortium to send out an elite team."
His words fell.
The office grew quiet once more.
The old man was silent for a long time.
In the end, he waved a hand and shook his head. "Don't bother those important people. We'll handle this ourselves."
Mo Ran said, "But..."
The old man looked at him. "If even you aren't confident you can beat him, then his secret must be greater than the heavens. Someone that dangerous could take my life as easily as lifting a finger. There's no point in trying to defend against him."
The old man's words hit Mo Ran right in the heart. His jaw muscles tensed.
He gripped the small mechanism at his waist and gritted out each word with determination. "Next time, I'll make my move. We'll see who's stronger."
With that, he turned and left.
The old man was left alone at his desk, rubbing his temples in distress.
"How are you so sure I won't kill you?"
"How dare you help me find medicine to keep me alive so openly?"
"Why can't you at least hide your overconfidence and disregard for everyone else?"
"Do you really think you're invincible, the best in the world?"
"Wang Wen, you're a real headache!"
Before you continue